Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Shelter animals want for Christmas.....
Regardless of where you live or who you are, you can make a difference for Christmas with local animal shelters!!
Even if it is only $5.00 donation to your local animal shelter or rescue organization it helps!
If you would rather go shopping here are things commonly needed by shelters and rescue groups:
*Leashes
*Collars
*Toys
*Blankets, towels.... these can simply be from your closet... dogs don't care if they are used! And really this is something that is easy to give ANY TIME OF THE YEAR. Do you do spring cleaning? Fall cleaning? Throwing away sheets, blanket, towels??? Instead donate them to a local shelter. Ask if the need them first but I know there are groups out there that would be VERY GRATEFUL!
*Dog treats
*Chew bones.... I wouldn't get raw hides b/c some people don't like to give raw hides to dogs. If you really want to buy raw hides I would just ask the shelter or rescue group if raw hides are ok.
*Dog food.... but again ask what type of dog food they feed or would prefer.
*TIME!! Going and spending time at a shelter walking dogs, petting them, giving them a bath, maybe even taking pictures. I know a lot of shelters would really appreciate your time.
Some shelters have cats too. I do not rescue cats so I don't want to say what they need but if you are a cat person call your local shelter and ask them what the cats need. I am sure they would be more then grateful for your help!
And the very easiest thing in the entire world you can do that would me so much to MANY MANY MANY ANIMALS!
EDUCATE PEOPLE YOU KNOW OR MEET!
Adopt Don't Shop
Spay / Neuter
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Even if it is only $5.00 donation to your local animal shelter or rescue organization it helps!
If you would rather go shopping here are things commonly needed by shelters and rescue groups:
*Leashes
*Collars
*Toys
*Blankets, towels.... these can simply be from your closet... dogs don't care if they are used! And really this is something that is easy to give ANY TIME OF THE YEAR. Do you do spring cleaning? Fall cleaning? Throwing away sheets, blanket, towels??? Instead donate them to a local shelter. Ask if the need them first but I know there are groups out there that would be VERY GRATEFUL!
*Dog treats
*Chew bones.... I wouldn't get raw hides b/c some people don't like to give raw hides to dogs. If you really want to buy raw hides I would just ask the shelter or rescue group if raw hides are ok.
*Dog food.... but again ask what type of dog food they feed or would prefer.
*TIME!! Going and spending time at a shelter walking dogs, petting them, giving them a bath, maybe even taking pictures. I know a lot of shelters would really appreciate your time.
Some shelters have cats too. I do not rescue cats so I don't want to say what they need but if you are a cat person call your local shelter and ask them what the cats need. I am sure they would be more then grateful for your help!
And the very easiest thing in the entire world you can do that would me so much to MANY MANY MANY ANIMALS!
EDUCATE PEOPLE YOU KNOW OR MEET!
Adopt Don't Shop
Spay / Neuter
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
DOG FOOD... what to feed?? (post 2 of 2)
Ok, someone asked me what I recommend as a good dog food. I thought it was an important question so I figured why not make a post about it so other can chime in.
I am not a dog nutritionist or a vet but I know what my dogs do good on. I know some people think the most expensive dog food in the world or all natural or this or that is the best but to each their own.
I feed my dogs Dad's dog food. It is #1. locally produced in the US. #2. family owned business #3. uses US produced ingredients. It is not by any means the top of the line. However, I have had dogs for 31 years and my parents have had dogs for nearly 70 years and this is what we have always fed them. The dogs have shinny coats, healthy teeth and bright eyes. I have never had a dog with a food allergy including any of my rescue dog get sick on Dad's AND because I do have so many rescue dogs coming and going Dad's seems to be very easy on their stomach. You never know what crap / garbage or lack of food a dog has had prior to coming into my rescue and I have never had a dog with stomach issues at my house.
I even have heard of a few breeders recommending Dad's.
Now Dad's has several varieties of dog food. The one I feed is Bite Size Meal. So, I am only speaking for that one.....
When choosing a dog food you always want the first 2 out of 3 ingredients to be some type of meat. Or if you can get a dog food with 3 out of 3 that is even better. More then likely you are only feed 1, 2 or 3 dogs. You have to remember I feed 4 everyday BUT usually have 6 - 10 extra at my house. Hence Dad's is affordable :-)
Anyway so you really want to see meat as the first few ingredients when feeding your dog. Now sometimes people get Lamb and Rice formula or Chicken and Rice or Chicken and Oatmeal.. if that is the case then those two things should be the first 2 ingredients!
You really want to stay away from soybean meal, ground wheat flour, corn syrup, wheat middlings, sugar..... those type of things
all those things are nothing but fillers. Corn is filler as well but I don't' really think corn is all that bad.. I have never heard of a dog being allergic to corn but I have heard them being allergic to flour and wheat and sugar.
You will notice that the better dog food you feed your dog the less he/she has to use the bathroom.
Someone said to me that there dog poops 5 times a day. They aren't sure how one dog can poop so much. I asked "what are you feeding" Alpo, she said. I told her she is better off feeding shredded news paper. Alpo is nothing more then a bunch of fillers so of course your dog is going to poop more... nothing in the food is of nutritional value. So, think of it this way... you sit down for dinner and eat a BIG bag of Doritos's or you sit down and eat a salad, a steak, corn and some mashed potatoes. Ok, now tell me which one makes you feel like CRAP? Now you know how your dog feels.
It is funny if you google dog food almost every brand you can get the nutritional label except for Alpo. They do not have the nutritional label listed...
Honestly if I had the money the dog food I would feed my dogs would be Natural Choice by Nutru. I really do think that it has best ingredients. But with feeding 20 dogs at any given time that really isn't in my budget!
And a few more helpful things (at least I think they are helpful) to think about:
#1. Do not go with what the label on the bag says to feed your dog. It is probably TOO MUCH FOOD. Remember they want to sell dog food! My rule of thumb is if your dog is too skinny add a little, too fat take a little away until you can find a happy medium. It is important that you can't see a dogs ribs or back bone but they still need to have a waist, if that makes sense.
#2. NEVER EVER EVER FEED people food or soft dog food. VERY BAD! Dogs can not brush their teeth and when you feed soft food to them it gets stuck in their teeth and decays. It then causes a cavity which then gets all infected and they get a gum disease which then gives them a blood disease and which shuts down their liver and kidneys are your dog dies a horrible painful slow death. So, really is feeding your dog a potato chip really worth it?
#3. Milk bones are very good for their teeth. Raw hides are not so great. They are dipped in formaldehyde... yes what the preserve dead bodies with. Do you really want your dog eatting that?
#4. If your dog is over weight cut his/her food in half but to make it so the dog doesn't feel hungry make the other half of his / her normal food green beans. Yes, canned green beans are perfectly fine for a dog and a great diet method :-)
#5. Carrots are a healthy snack for a dog too. Not too many but a piece of a large raw carrot or some small bite sized ones are good for them. And most dogs love carrots.
#6. Remember in the winter your dog is less active so slim down on the food a bit and then increase in the summer when their and your activity level increases!
Well I hope this helped and please feel free to add a comment on what type of food you think is best and why! It is always good to get different points of view.
I am not a dog nutritionist or a vet but I know what my dogs do good on. I know some people think the most expensive dog food in the world or all natural or this or that is the best but to each their own.
I feed my dogs Dad's dog food. It is #1. locally produced in the US. #2. family owned business #3. uses US produced ingredients. It is not by any means the top of the line. However, I have had dogs for 31 years and my parents have had dogs for nearly 70 years and this is what we have always fed them. The dogs have shinny coats, healthy teeth and bright eyes. I have never had a dog with a food allergy including any of my rescue dog get sick on Dad's AND because I do have so many rescue dogs coming and going Dad's seems to be very easy on their stomach. You never know what crap / garbage or lack of food a dog has had prior to coming into my rescue and I have never had a dog with stomach issues at my house.
I even have heard of a few breeders recommending Dad's.
Now Dad's has several varieties of dog food. The one I feed is Bite Size Meal. So, I am only speaking for that one.....
When choosing a dog food you always want the first 2 out of 3 ingredients to be some type of meat. Or if you can get a dog food with 3 out of 3 that is even better. More then likely you are only feed 1, 2 or 3 dogs. You have to remember I feed 4 everyday BUT usually have 6 - 10 extra at my house. Hence Dad's is affordable :-)
Anyway so you really want to see meat as the first few ingredients when feeding your dog. Now sometimes people get Lamb and Rice formula or Chicken and Rice or Chicken and Oatmeal.. if that is the case then those two things should be the first 2 ingredients!
You really want to stay away from soybean meal, ground wheat flour, corn syrup, wheat middlings, sugar..... those type of things
all those things are nothing but fillers. Corn is filler as well but I don't' really think corn is all that bad.. I have never heard of a dog being allergic to corn but I have heard them being allergic to flour and wheat and sugar.
You will notice that the better dog food you feed your dog the less he/she has to use the bathroom.
Someone said to me that there dog poops 5 times a day. They aren't sure how one dog can poop so much. I asked "what are you feeding" Alpo, she said. I told her she is better off feeding shredded news paper. Alpo is nothing more then a bunch of fillers so of course your dog is going to poop more... nothing in the food is of nutritional value. So, think of it this way... you sit down for dinner and eat a BIG bag of Doritos's or you sit down and eat a salad, a steak, corn and some mashed potatoes. Ok, now tell me which one makes you feel like CRAP? Now you know how your dog feels.
It is funny if you google dog food almost every brand you can get the nutritional label except for Alpo. They do not have the nutritional label listed...
Honestly if I had the money the dog food I would feed my dogs would be Natural Choice by Nutru. I really do think that it has best ingredients. But with feeding 20 dogs at any given time that really isn't in my budget!
And a few more helpful things (at least I think they are helpful) to think about:
#1. Do not go with what the label on the bag says to feed your dog. It is probably TOO MUCH FOOD. Remember they want to sell dog food! My rule of thumb is if your dog is too skinny add a little, too fat take a little away until you can find a happy medium. It is important that you can't see a dogs ribs or back bone but they still need to have a waist, if that makes sense.
#2. NEVER EVER EVER FEED people food or soft dog food. VERY BAD! Dogs can not brush their teeth and when you feed soft food to them it gets stuck in their teeth and decays. It then causes a cavity which then gets all infected and they get a gum disease which then gives them a blood disease and which shuts down their liver and kidneys are your dog dies a horrible painful slow death. So, really is feeding your dog a potato chip really worth it?
#3. Milk bones are very good for their teeth. Raw hides are not so great. They are dipped in formaldehyde... yes what the preserve dead bodies with. Do you really want your dog eatting that?
#4. If your dog is over weight cut his/her food in half but to make it so the dog doesn't feel hungry make the other half of his / her normal food green beans. Yes, canned green beans are perfectly fine for a dog and a great diet method :-)
#5. Carrots are a healthy snack for a dog too. Not too many but a piece of a large raw carrot or some small bite sized ones are good for them. And most dogs love carrots.
#6. Remember in the winter your dog is less active so slim down on the food a bit and then increase in the summer when their and your activity level increases!
Well I hope this helped and please feel free to add a comment on what type of food you think is best and why! It is always good to get different points of view.
Daphne update (post 1 of 2)
I took Daphne to the vet yesterday. The vet thinks that her dry skin, red belly and thinning hair is all from a bad diet. UGH!
The foster home that had Daphne 3 years ago took her back to foster. So, that is a good thing. It will be familiar to her. Poor dog.
She is such a great dog that I know I can get her placed very quickly but I want her looking better so I am going to give it some time for her to get looking /feeling better before I put her up for adoption. I want to make 100% FOR sure that the home she goes to next is FOREVER and not until a new man comes around....
Well looks like the cold weather has a few dogs not feeling so well. UGH! I hate sick dogs, I feel so bad b/c they can't exactly say to you "I feel hot, have a headache and a runny nose." You just have to guess and watch and try to get them on the right type of medication. Poor things.
Other then that not too much is going on... I haven't received (knocking on wood) any notifications about JRT's in kill shelters. I am sure they are out there but I am not looking for them.. don't need to, they always find me. LOL!!
I did find out that Tina the JRT who bit that I talked about yesterday was adopted. WOOHOOO! I am really excited about that. YAY!
The foster home that had Daphne 3 years ago took her back to foster. So, that is a good thing. It will be familiar to her. Poor dog.
She is such a great dog that I know I can get her placed very quickly but I want her looking better so I am going to give it some time for her to get looking /feeling better before I put her up for adoption. I want to make 100% FOR sure that the home she goes to next is FOREVER and not until a new man comes around....
Well looks like the cold weather has a few dogs not feeling so well. UGH! I hate sick dogs, I feel so bad b/c they can't exactly say to you "I feel hot, have a headache and a runny nose." You just have to guess and watch and try to get them on the right type of medication. Poor things.
Other then that not too much is going on... I haven't received (knocking on wood) any notifications about JRT's in kill shelters. I am sure they are out there but I am not looking for them.. don't need to, they always find me. LOL!!
I did find out that Tina the JRT who bit that I talked about yesterday was adopted. WOOHOOO! I am really excited about that. YAY!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Did I fail??? I sure feel like I did.
Sorry it has been a week... last week was crazy. I started a yahoo group for those interested in helping and WOW did that turn out awesome. As far as I know we were able to save all JRT's (even a few mixes) from kill shelters in Ohio :-) WOOHOOO!!
There is one JRT in a shelter but she has a bite history and I am afraid my hands are tied with that one :-( Totally sucks b/c I don't think it was the dogs fault but if our insurance found out... we would be screwed!
I have had several dogs leave for a foster to adopt home. Which is GREAT! Josie and Earl both left around Thanksgiving and their foster families said they are keeping them. I went over to see Josie yesterday in her new home and make it official. She was very happy! I am supposed to get together with Earl's foster mom on Sunday... Oh I am so happy for Earl.
This is Josie!
This is Earl:
Marshmallow who I rescued on Tuesday with the help of Dee went to the vet on Thursday for a wellness check and to a foster to adopt home that night! Things seem to be going well there. I need to check in today.
Jeff went to a foster home with a really nice lady. Hopefully she likes him.
With the help of Mindy I rescued sweet Roxy from Portage County. Roxy was dumped there on 10//26/2009 by her family who had owned her since she was a puppy. Roxy is now 8.5 years old. They bought a new house and didn't want a dog in the new house. So, they dumper her at the kill shelter. The shelter did everything they could to keep her from being killed but it was touch and go. As soon as I heard of the situation I jumped at the opportunity to help her. She is in a foster home now and a past adopter is interested in meeting her!! So, maybe she will have a home and their current JRT they adopted from me can have a sister!
Mindy also helped rescue Dover who is for sure a mix.. LOL!! Mix of what?? Good question... I am thinking Whippet b/c man that dog is fast.. LOL!!
The on Saturday April rescued Ozzie from Coshocton. They said he was a JRT but kinda big... well she brought him over to my house... I have never laughed so hard in my life. He is a Basset Hound / JRT mix. Who thought that was a good idea?? LOL!!
Dante left today to go to Kathy's who will hopefully be able to work with him and help him through his "issues" I really like that little guy, I am sure with Kathy he will be fine.
Then for the crappy part of this weekend......... DAPHNE!
Daphne was brought into our rescue in September 2006. She was scared and shy and had obviously been horribly miss treated. The foster home worked with her and she was doing so well. This young single mom filled out an application and wanted to adopt Daphne for her 9 year old son. She thought it would be good for her 9 year old since he was a bit sad that his dad left. The foster mom and I spoke to the potential adopter of Daphne a million times. It seemed like a great match for the boy and Daphne. The boy and Daphne have been best buds for 3 years.
The mom in the past 3 years, go married, moved, had a baby and is due to have a 2nd baby with her new husband. According to the mom the new dad doesn't really care for Daphne and is always yelling at her. Since they are having baby #2 the dad wants the dog gone. Her son is really upset about this but the dog has got to go.
So, yesterday Sunday Daphne gets dropped off at my house. She was wearing a black coat and the guy brought with her a box of stuff. It was horrible. The box of stuff consisted of a torn up blanket that the guy said she slept on, two toys with some of the stuffing torn out, a new rope toy, a bag of some nasty Kibble and Bits dog food (seriously shredded news paper has more nutritional value) and a leash.
I threw away all the toys that were torn open and the blanket. I took the dog food and gave it to the chickens. Poor Daphne was so confused.
I took Daphne in the house and took off her coat and noticed that her hair on her back was rubbed off / thin and she had a few thin spots of hair on her head, her belly was all red too. Not sure what is going on with her. I have a vet appointment tonight so hopefully it is nothing more then being on crappy food.
I was able to touch base with the foster mom who had her 3 years ago. They are meeting me at the vet office tonight to get her back. I think that would be best for Daphne because it will be familiar to her.
I feel so horrible. I feel like I failed this little dog. Totally sucks. Hopefully this time I won't fail her....
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